Watertightness and IP rating

It is important to fully understand the information provided in the technical notice before using this complementary information

Mastering these techniques requires training.

Consult a professional before attempting to perform these techniques on your own.

A headlamp's watertightness is ensured by its IP rating

This rating classifies the level of protection offered by equipment against ingress by solids (e.g. dust) and liquids (e.g. water, oil).

Two standards govern the IP rating

- The IEC 60529 standard involves all electronic products, including headlamps. It defines the levels of protection against solids and liquids and describes the tests to be done depending on the product's IP rating.
The IP rating consists of two digits:

The first digit indicates protection against solids.

The second digit indicates protection against liquids. More commonly called watertightness.

Rating

1st digit (tens)Protection against solids

2nd digit (ones)Protection against water ingress with harmful effects

0

No protection

No protection

1

Protection against solids greater than 50 mm in diameter

Protection against vertically falling water drops

2

Protection against solids greater than 12.5 mm in diameter

Protection against water drops (15° from vertical)

3

Protection against solids greater than 2.5 mm in diameter

rain

4

Protection against solids greater than 1.0 mm in diameter

Protection against spraying water

5

Dust protection

Protection against water jets

6

Completely protected against dust

Protection against powerful water jets

7

-

Protection against temporary immersion
-1 meter for 30 minutes

8

-

Protection against prolonged immersion
duration and depth defined by the manufacturer

NB : When a criterion has not been tested, the number is replaced by X (e.g., IPX6 indicates that the product has not been tested for solids).

The lamp functions just after the test and 30 minutes after the test.
Water drops allowed in the lamp after the test, provided there is no short-circuit or electrical fault.

IPX7

The lamp functions just after the test and 30 minutes after the test.
No water allowed in the lamp after the test

IPX8

To define a headlamp IP rating, a manufacturer can rely solely on the IEC 60529 standard by defining its own test acceptance criteria, or use the acceptance criteria given in the ANSI/PLATO FL 1 standard.

What watertightness tests are done on Petzl headlamps?

To claim an IP rating on its headlamps, Petzl chose to do its testing internally. Petzl follows the test protocol defined in the IEC 60529 standard and the test acceptance criteria from the ANSI/PLATO FL1 standard.

Petzl has a test laboratory (oscillating tube, water tank and watertightness chamber) that allows the necessary tests to be done in order to determine the watertightness of a lamp.

What are the IP ratings of Petzl headlamps?

All of our headlamps are at least IPX4 (weather resistant): a rating suitable for most headlamp use in rain, snow or a humid environment.
The e+LITE® lamp is IPX7 (watertight to -1 meters for 30 minutes in fresh water).
The DUO S lamp is IP67 (watertight to -1 meters for 30 minutes in fresh water and dust tight).

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How is lighting performance measured with the ANSI/PLATO FL1 protocol?